REGARDING the power planning failure ('Coal snap', Newcastle Herald 2/6): who could expect anything less? Ageing power plants were sold, the private companies made profits but didn't put much back into maintenance and upgrades. The government is pushing for renewables but the private companies have to pay for organising the infrastructure to mix this new power supply into the present system. It's easier for the private companies to get as much as they can out of the existing customers (higher prices, anyone?) and then close everything down. Who suffers? The customers.
I have believed in climate change since the 1970s, based on the NSW government teaching curriculum. I have been horrified by the government and media's melodramatic statements yet no planning. Today I discovered that our solar panels and hot water don't work without an electrical "input". Looks like a splurge on a battery coming up.
Kathryn Bow, Wallsend
Energy contingency is crucial
NOW that Mr Albanese is in the driver's seat, expected to honour his promise of meeting an emission target within the next eight years, he must first face the fact that wind and solar energy, the proposed energy source to meet this target, is unproductive 65 per cent of the time.
Before Mr Albanese agrees with the closure of power stations, to be replaced with batteries powered by solar farms, it is paramount his loyalty is first to the people before the profit of renewable energy providers and distributors. To ensure this 65 per cent of time the grid will be powered by another source of energy rather than storage batteries. Batteries will never power Australia 65 per cent of the time, or solar farms charge them during 35 per cent of the time. By my tally it would take 30 11-kilowatt batteries, costing $300,000 each, to power just one electric train no more than an hour. Surely this example shows the need for power stations.
It makes sense that power stations are kept operational as a back-up. Once they are gone the last bridge for a back-up will be lost, the inability to power Australia or keep up with demand would be a national disaster with no easy way out.
It's not for me to say, but if Mr Albanese wishes to stand on the same stage as other world leaders he must follow their lead and build nuclear power stations. Nothing else that's carbon free will power Australia 65 per cent of the time, all the time. Nothing else will meet Labor's carbon emission target without destroying the economy.
Carl Stevenson, Dora Creek
Pithy, but some quotes are mythic
STEVE Thompson, (Short Takes, 31/5), asks about Tim Flannery "Isn't he the man that stated "our dams will never fill again" and "the South Pole will be melted completely by 2020"?". No, he isn't, but he has been misquoted so often that many people believe he did.
If you repeat something often enough people will believe it. There are numerous examples. Many people think George W. Bush once said "the trouble with the French is they don't have a word for entrepreneur". He didn't. Many believe that Aboriginal Australians were not regarded by the law as human beings until after the referendum of 1967. In fact under British law they became British Subjects in the 18th or 19th centuries, depending where on the continent they lived. It is true that Aboriginal people did not become Australian Citizens at the time of Federation, but did you know that white people didn't either? Their nationality was British and this was still true in 1966 when I got my first passport. Yet I was born in Australia as were several generations of my ancestors. Don't believe what you read without seeking other sources. You could practice by checking this letter.
Ian Roach, New Lambton
Ukraine ramifications horrendous
THANK you, Peter Hay, ("Could plebiscite be the answer?", Letters, 30/5). Very good to read something intelligent on all this terrible outcome of the very badly planned regime change. An ''unprovoked war'' in Ukraine. A plebiscite is required. That was what should have happened from the Minsk Agreement. Ukraine, France and Germany agreed to that. Ukraine never intended it to happen, it would appear. Now another regime change has gone sour; such as Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan etc; in just three months this time. Afghanistan took over 20. I don't think we will have to wait that long to see the writing on the wall in Ukraine and the probable ramifications are just horrendous.
Fred Whitaker, Newcastle
Skate park risks outweigh rewards
I REFER to the article including Newcastle council's CEO listing the various council construction projects affected, one being the south Newcastle beach skate park being heavily hit by big swells washing away materials ("Weather, COVID delay city works by months", Herald 30/5).
I think the council should finally recognise the decision for a skate park at this location was incorrect. It should cancel all ongoing work and seek a more appropriate location. Surely this and previous damage is an indication of future ongoing costs in maintaining this facility in the future putting further strain on budgets and ratepayer funds. Not only from damage caused by the surf, but also the constant maintenance and cleaning cost for sand removal to ensure its safety and mitigate the risk of any legal actions resulting from an unsafe facility. No shame in admitting past mistakes in taking corrective action.
Peter Mullins, Rankin Park
A tale of two Hunter schools
GILLESTON Public School has many demountable buildings, inadequate sewerage and chicken wire fencing. The original Gonski plan in 2012 was for federal school funding to follow the needs of the student. This plan never saw the light of day once the LNP gained power in 2013. An aerial view of nearby Hunter Valley Grammar School shows complete fencing, volleyball and tennis courts, ovals, athletics facilities, netball courts and not a single demountable. According to the MySchool website for 2020, the school drew 87 per cent of its enrolments from the top two socio-economic quarters and were gifted an average of $8500 per student from the federal government for a total of $9.4 million. In comparison, Gilleston drew 87 per cent of its enrolments from the lower two socio-economic quarters and received $3800 per student or a total of $815,000. The Gonski plan was devised to ensure that differences in educational outcomes are not the result of differences in wealth, income, power or possessions. What we have seen over the last nine years of LNP rule is the further erosion of public education through the transfer of public money to private entities. In this case it's the 70% per cent of kids attending public schools who are paying the price of that ideology.
John Arnold, Anna Bay
A liberal dose of opposition
I THINK the Liberal Party has done the Labor Party a giant favour by electing Peter Dutton as their leader. I'm sure that less people will not vote Liberal with this unsympathetic man at the reins.
James Gain, Caves Beach
SHORT TAKES
GREG Hunt, (Short Takes, 1/6), you state in reply to Adz Carter about his excitement with Labor victory, that it was by only 32 per cent support. What percentage would your beloved LNP drum up if it were not a coalition of two parties? The only abject failure is the denial of an overwhelming loss by the Liberals.
Steve Paras, Pelican
LLOYD Davies, you've been watching Sky News, obviously.
Steve Barnett, Fingal Bay
WHILE holding reservations due to Peter Dutton's historic form, I was considering giving him the benefit of the doubt. Having promptly dubbed the Labor government as "inevitable mess" ('Hard man takes reins, comes out swinging', Newcastle Herald 31/5) Mr Dutton has confirmed my long-held opinion of him. People want more polite political discourse rather than the same old antagonist blather.
Martin Frohlich, Adamstown Heights
THE institutional Catholic Church has forgotten the teachings of Ezekiel. Paraphrased by scholar Joseph Blenkinsopp: "We know how dangerously ambiguous is this idea of divine election. It can lend itself with fatal ease, now as then, to a self-serving complacency, or support an ideology of power which fails to reckon with the high cost of God's acts of grace."
Mark Porter, New Lambton
IN every democracy sometimes the B graders get elected, so every decade or so the Labor Party gets a term only to lose the next election and let the Liberals sort it out. Labor has served a single term nine times, and hopefully this will be the case again.
Don Fraser, Belmont North
THE gas price shock about to hit us all has certainly got people's attention. But can we move on from 'climate wars'? People suggesting we frack the living daylights out of our country to solve the shortage need to take a reality check; there is no gas shortage. It's just that 'the market' has been allowed to export it all, and it's clear that mistake needs to be walked back. Meanwhile extreme weather continues to batter us; I have several days of work ahead clearing fallen branches from my yard, so the progress to carbon-free energy remains crucial.
Michael Gormly, Islington
THE new and improved, kinder, lovey dovey Labor party; smart arse Mark McGowan with his rant saying that Peter Dutton wasn't that smart. And we-won-the-election Tanya Plibersek shooting her mouth off, also sledging Peter Dutton about his appearance. What's changed?
Alan Harrison, Glendale
LLOYD Davies, (Short Takes, 31/5), I think just about all critics of the Labor party get their inspiration from Sky News.
